No Sanctuary
by EmFallen
Summary: One of these times Kikyo could kill him. Shippou knew that she didn’t mean it. But he had to steal one last kiss from her, his beautiful Rin. AU
1. Touchy

Author's Note: I saw a show that inspired me to dig this old story up... I tried before to write it, and it just got a little too personal for my liking. But, here I am trying again, and this time, I intend to finish it. It's a little dark, and it may overstep a few people's boundaries, and if so, I advise you to either skip the parts that do, or not to read this. I do intend to finish The Prince and I (I'm working on the last chapter and the sequel now...), so I don't plan to just cast that aside... I love it too much. That said; let's get on with the main event! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Does it look to you like I own InuYasha? I thought not.

**No Sanctuary **

**Chapter One: Touchy**

"What's wrong with him?"

"How should I know?" A gasp resounded. "He's got paws!"

"And a tail," the first voice suddenly said, "He's a youkai!"

A little girl screamed loudly.

These were the voices that woke Shippou as he lay among the bushes. The memories of how he'd gotten there were groggy at best; it was most likely better that he didn't remember anyway. Two little kids, maybe five years old, were standing stock-still in front of him, their eyes wide in fright and awe.

"What do you two want?" Shippou asked grouchily.

At the sight of his fangs, having grazed over his lips when he talked, the kindergarteners ran back to the playground and away from the few trees. All the better for the kitsune. Shippou stretched lightly, and found a sharp pain shoot up his back.

"What the--?" He muttered to himself as he tenderly felt what he could of his back, trying to assess what damage had been done.

Unfortunately at that moment, the memories of the night before came flooding back into his mind.

"_Shippou... What have I said about seeing her?"_

_A startled glance in the direction of his mother. He backed against the door as he closed it, answering, "Um... not to—uhh, I mean... not to see her..." _

Shippou shuddered.

_Through this is mother was deadly calm. So calm, in fact, that he wondered if she even cared at all for him. _

"_You disobeyed me, son. This is your punishment." _

_A chair... how had he gotten on the ground? He couldn't remember that part. His mother... with the chair, towering over him as he lay on the ground, panting and frightened. His side stung. Even though his mother was just a human, and he a powerful youkai, he was frightened of her. He didn't dare fight back. _

Instantly suppressing those memories on reflex before everything came back to him, he brushed himself off. Leaves clung to his tail, hair and clothes, and even a few to his paws. Looking around, Shippou saw his shoes lying at the base of a small tree. They were soaked through, obviously ruined, and caked in mud.

"Good as gone," Shippou murmured.

The kitsune glanced around the park casually, noting exactly where he was, and began the walk to anywhere. Anywhere was better than his home.

Kouga quickly by-passed a couple of officers who were 'needing' to talk to him on 'important' matters. The police station was particularly busy today. Apart from a new murder in town that was both gruesome and tiresome, there were more teenage tantrums involving spray-paint and other vandalism, and even more thefts by old law-breakers. But at least he had special interest in what he was working on now, even though the father of the kid knew how to push his buttons.

Kouga gestured to the father anyhow, knowing that the guy didn't bother him as much as he pretended. "Hey,"

"Well? Have you found him yet?" Inuyasha asked quickly, the undertone of a growl lacing his words.

"Always this impatient?" Kouga smirked. But he knew that finding Inuyasha's kid was an important case. "We have a few leads, and if you want... I should rephrase that. If you behave like a good doggie, I'll take you with me to explore them."

"Let me rephrase that for you. You're letting me go with you because you realize that if I don't find my kid and it's your fault that I'll rip out your guts and store them in my kitchen." Inuyasha growled menacingly.

Geeze, was this hanyou scary when it came to his kid. "Alright, alright. Do be a little mindful that you're standing in the middle of a police station, would you? It costs a lot to bail someone out."

"Keh," Inuyasha muttered.

Kagome was comfortable. She was snuggled in her comfy double bed; perfect for just her but room enough for the occasional special someone who came along. That was why she was extremely irritated when someone rang her doorbell. With a glance at her clock to find that it was almost midnight now, she got up slowly. Whoever it was sure seemed impatient, because they rang the bell three more times before she'd made it downstairs.

"I'm freaking coming already!" Kagome practically growled as she looked through the peephole. With a startled sort of squeak, she realized it was someone familiar. She threw open the door.

"Hey Kagome," He said, shaking slightly, "sorry I--."

Kagome cut him off. "Shippou, what happened this time?"

She gestured him in and he followed, closing the door behind him. It was clear that it was going to take a bit of coaxing to get the newest incident out of him. Kagome sighed; that meant an even longer night.

"Would you get off my back already?!" Kouga shouted.

Inuyasha growled a warning. Kouga ignored him. The impatient hanyou and been badgering him all day as they drove around in Kouga's car looking for Shippou. The police radio that was installed hadn't said much of anything about more news of Shippou. Apparently no one had seen hide nor hair of the kitsune since he'd gone missing yesterday evening. That particular part was fast becoming a point of interest for Kouga.

"So..." Kouga said hesitantly. If he even so much as hinted the wrong direction, Inuyasha would never tell the reason Shippou hadn't been home. "What's been going on with the wife?"

Inuyasha looked at Kouga sulkily through the corner of his eye. "Kikyo's the same as always."

'_Duly noted,'_ Kouga thought before saying, "Did Shippou happen to tell her where he was going...?"

Of course, Kouga knew that Shippou was most likely not missing. The little kit had been an off/on disappearing act since he'd been old enough to pull a Houdini. This was later than most people thought, for a demon child. Apart from that, Kouga also knew that Kikyo had plenty of bad habits around the house. One particular bad habit had been drinking. The wolf demon had known Inuyasha and Kikyo in their high school days, and she'd had the telltale signs of becoming an alcoholic then, too. But now whenever he saw her she was sober to the bone, though he knew that it was not the case the majority of the time.

"No." Inuyasha answered shortly.

He knew what Kouga was trying to do. Kouga mentally cursed himself.

"Do you think we have a chance of finding him at some of the same places?" Kouga asked lightly.

"I'd try Kagome's if I were you." Inuyasha suggested, staring moodily out the window with sharp eyes, trying to find his son anywhere on the empty streets.

Shippou's hand shook as he accepted the juice quietly. This was the way it had always been. The poor kitsune would encounter his drunken mother when he got home from school, do something minor that pissed her off, and run off to Kagome's after a certain amount of time. Every single time he'd been taken back, and Shippou still had not the urge to let Kagome tell someone about Kikyo.

"Shippou, please tell me what happened." Kagome said soothingly.

The kitsune involuntarily shivered. "Mom was drunk again."

Kagome sighed. "I don't understand why you just don't overpower her. This shouldn't be as hard as it is for you." Shippou didn't say anything, so Kagome drove on with her small reprimanding. "You are a demon, and a damn powerful one at that. Kikyo is just human."

"I know..." He said quietly, clutching his juice but not drinking it.

Kagome sat silently. So he wouldn't tell her voluntarily. Gently, she nudged him. "Show me the new wounds."

Shippou looked up at her with startled eyes, but then softened them somehow. He gingerly lifted his shirt. Kagome noted that this time there were dozens of bruises and a five-fingered gash on his side that didn't look deep.

"How drunk was she this time?"

He shrugged. "I came home as usual, forgot to take off my shoes and that was all it took."

Kagome stood up and went to the bathroom. "What'd she use?"

God, how insensitive that was! It was like she was talking about some poor sod she'd heard about on the news and not the gentle kitsune sitting at her kitchen table with bruises over his demon body. Speaking of, how come he wasn't healing those bruises? Other youkai she knew healed instantly when they bruised, yet Shippou healed as a human did.

"A lot of things," Came his answer. "First it was just her hands, and then... she grabbed whatever was in reach."

Kagome grabbed the first aid kit from under the sink and returned to the kitchen to find him picking at the finger gouges. No doubt in Kagome's mind that Kikyo hadn't used whatever was in reach when she made those. "Have you thought about telling your father about this?"

The reaction she received was instant and expected; Shippou jumped up, scooting towards the nearest exit with fearful eyes. "I can't tell dad what she does! He loves her too much to believe me!"

Kagome sighed, slumping her shoulders as she set the box on the table. "Alright, so we won't tell your father..."

He relaxed again, sitting down on the table instead of in a chair so she could dress the wound on his side. There was nothing, unfortunately, that she could do for the bruises that marred his back and chest. "What if we told my cop friend?"

Shippou gave her a look. "Don't you mean 'boyfriend'?"

"No, I don't mean boyfriend. Kouga's just an old friend from high school." Kagome said, clicking her tongue impatiently.

It wasn't a discussion. It was an argument... and a stupid one at that.

"I will not!"

"Will too!"

"She's not even my girlfriend!"

"Doesn't mean you didn't wish she was!"

"I'm on the goddamn job, how do you come off thinking I'm going in for a shag instead?!" Kouga was furious.

Inuyasha was worse. "Because it's Kagome! You're always a stupid half-ass around her!"

Kouga snorted. "Like you're any better."

Inuyasha crossed his arms huffily. The car was parked in front of Kagome's small but well-kept blue house, its white trim adding a soft tone to it overall. There was a light on in the kitchen and both men saw two shadows dimly moving about. There was no getting past this argument.

"Well we could always both go in..." Kouga suggested, but the words came out in a voice that suggested Inuyasha stay in the car.

"No way in hell I'm sending you in there to get distracted from finding my son," Inuyasha said, grudgingly stepping out of the car.

Kouga didn't say anything. Getting Inuyasha to agree was the best he could do at the moment. Apart from being touchy about his son, he also happened to be touchy about his high school crush. Kouga's new flame for the moment.

"Would you please not push me away?" Kagome said as he once again veered sharply to the side to avoid her pressing fingers.

Shippou mumbled a sorry, but Kagome didn't have time to respond, as the doorbell rang.

"Coming!" she called out, and turning to Shippou, said, "You stay right there, mister."

Kagome put down the bandage and Neosporin before going to the door. As she had earlier that night, she looked anxiously through the peephole. What she saw made her even more nervous, but at the same time she was partially relieved. This way it wouldn't hurt her conscious or make Shippou believe she was betraying his trust.

And Inuyasha wasted no small talk. "Kagome," He gave a small nod in greeting, his eyes full of serious and straight to the point. "Is Shippou here?"

"Yes. He got here around midnight."

Kouga felt as if he were being left out of the conversation and completely unacknowledged. But there was something indescribable, something that Kouga couldn't quite comprehend, that had passed between Inuyasha and Kagome. Kagome stepped aside, letting Inuyasha in. Kouga stepped just inside the door, letting the hanyou have his say with his son.

Inuyasha froze in the doorway as soon as he entered.

Shippou looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Previously the kitsune had been poking gently at the discolored purple bruise on his shoulder, oddly resembling a circle. Inuyasha raked his eyes over his son's body, seeing all the bruises and, with slight alarm, seeing the gouges that resembled his wife's fingers.

Of course, Inuyasha had always known that Kikyo had a tendency to get drunk on more than one occasion. He'd know since high school, when Kikyo touched her first drink at a party with their friends. But right now, the full effects of this information truly hit home. Though Kagome didn't understand the lack of healing from the demon teen, Inuyasha understood fully.

To be able to heal a beaten and broken body, his beaten and broken heart had to be healed first.

_To Be Continued..._


	2. Paradise Lost

I tried to continue the depth of the story in this chapter, but it was just too consuming. So here's a little light-heartedness. Hope you review cause I'm loving this story. It's my pride and joy at the moment.

**No Sanctuary**

**Chapter Two: Paradise Lost**

"Dad, I can explain!" Shippou said quickly, dashing for his shirt on the table.

"Stop right there."

Normally, he would have been quicker in putting on the shirt he held limply, but Shippou was beginning to shake in fear. His father's voice was deadly calm and that was not normal for the moody and emotional hanyou. Inuyasha's hair hid his eyes so that Shippou couldn't read his expression, and his father's scent had something about it that was always in his mother's, and that scared the kit.

"How long?"

Shippou barely dared to breathe. "How long what?"

Stupid was good. It was a great approach. Better than going back to foster homes with Hiten and that dolt Manten. But he couldn't lie very well; his father would soon detect the telling scent and then it'd be over.

"How long," Inuyasha repeated quietly, "has this been going on?"

Shippou gulped.

"Answer me."

"A while…" He whispered.

Inuyasha's fist snaked out from his side and slammed into the doorway. Splinters of wood fell at his feet. "That's not an answer!" He shouted.

Shippou jumped, clutching his shirt to his bruised chest as if it were a shield against the world.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome admonished, "Do not shout at him like that, and would you mind not tearing my house apart?!"

Kagome and Kouga came to stand behind Inuyasha. She tried pushing past to help the kitsune, but Inuyasha didn't budge. In fact, he looked furious when he glanced at her.

"You've known, haven't you Kagome?" The look in the hanyou's eyes was far deadlier than any murderer Kouga had ever arrested or even seen a picture of. "Known all this time that my son was being abused by someone."

Kagome suddenly looked like the guilty one. "Inuyasha, I can explain everything if you'd just--."

"What, calm down?" He said angrily.

Kouga had seen many people look angry in his line of work. Hell, even stoners attempted the angry look. But no one could convey the fear that came with being pegged with aforementioned look. Inuyasha was a little beyond reasoning with those in cahoots, especially her, that hadn't let him in on such important knowledge.

"Who was it, Kagome?" Inuyasha's calmness was worse than the over-emotional drama. Now he was advancing on her, unexpectedly close, and backing her to the hallway wall. "Was it a teacher at school? A friend? Was it that old hag?"

Meekly, Kagome shook her head. "Then who was it?" He demanded. "Was it you?!"

"Inuyasha," Kouga said, careful not to disrupt the hanyou's angry pattern. "Keep in mind that I'm on duty here and could have you arrested for harassment if you carry this any farther with her."

Inuyasha ignored her, his full attention still on Kagome. Behind him, Shippou looked torn between bolting out the back door and helping his would-be helper. "C'mon Kagome," Inuyasha said, "You're not saying anything. Does that mean you did it? Have you been abusing my son in your spare time?"

"No!" Kagome shouted, shocked and revolted at the mere idea that she had been the one to abuse Shippou in such a way.

"You think this is just a game? Why'd you do it, Kagome? Was it fun? Did you like it? Did you like the tearing flesh, tears he might've shed for it? Was it—,"

"Enough!" Kouga growled, trying to step between the two. "Kagome would never hurt a hair on that kid's head and you know it! So stop being a jackass and go tend to your son!"

Kouga knew that anything else would send Inuyasha overboard, and his mental stability would crack just enough to allow his youkai blood to take control. He could never allow Inuyasha to hurt Kagome, least of all in front of Shippou. Inuyasha backed away with a small but violent shake of his head. Kagome placed a shaking hand on Kouga's back, to move him slightly out of the way.

Kagome kneeled down slowly in front of Inuyasha. "I know that you know who did this, and why. I know that it hurts. But please, don't do this. Not in front of your son. Not in front of Kouga."

Previous to her saying this, Kouga had wanted to somehow convey that Inuyasha's youkai blood made him dangerous right now. But Kagome seemed to know it, the way that cops could tell when a lunatic had the capability to blow someone's head off. Not because it was predictable. Not because of the situation. Kagome just seemed to know. This made him curious, but the situation at hand demanded that Kouga be on his guard instead of asking questions.

Funny how Kagome didn't seem to need his protection as she allowed Inuyasha to reach up and nearly crush her in his embrace, muffled sounds of crying coming from the hanyou, and Kagome looking like she would cry as well. Shippo, seeing that all was safe, tenderly put his muddy shirt back on and slowly stepped into the hallway to look upon his crying father.

When Kouga drove Inuyasha and Shippou back to their house, the car was silent. Shippou stared listlessly out the window and watched whatever rolled by. The sky was still dark and cloudy, and a few times small droplets splattered on the windows. Inuyasha sat beside his son in the back, staring out the window as well, but not really seeing anything; the look on his face said that the hanyou was ashamed for having cried in front of Kouga and his son.

When Kouga drove off he could see them walk up to the house, Kikyo running out to greet them as if she hadn't been the reason for Shippou's disappearing act. But Kouga wasn't going to do anything about it. As a cop he was bound to serve the state and his country, but he would not be the one to tear his best friend's family apart.

Shippou lay face down on the bed, trying to block out the silence of his familiar home. It had been almost four days since he'd been brought back to this place with so many bad and good memories. Inuyasha didn't say a word to Kikyo about Shippou, leading his wife to believe that he'd only found his son and not learned of the beatings. But since, Kikyo had remained sober and told them that she had quit the booze. They smiled and nodded, pretended to be happy for her sake.

But really, Shippou was dying inside. The silence was unbearable. No one spoke much, and when they did, it was terse and forced. Shippou for the most part stayed in his room, or at his uncle's house. He hadn't visited Kagome, and Kouga hadn't been over to visit Inuyasha or to see how they were all doing. In reality, it was just a big theater show, and they were all playing their parts as usual. Nothing had changed, and Shippou had convinced himself that much. However, it was hard to keep that façade going when Inuyasha really knew now who had been hurting Shippou. It hadn't been boys at school, like Shippou had lied. It had been his very own mother, the woman who was supposed to love her son so much that she would lay down her life for him.

"Shippou!"

He rolled over lazily and looked at his watch. School would start soon and he'd have to run to make it. "Be there in a minute!"

Shippou tossed on a clean shirt from his closet, careful to put the dirty one in his hamper, lest his mother get mad at him for dropping it on the floor. Once satisfied that he was at least presentable, Shippou tied his shoulder length hair back in the usual pony tail, and ran a quick comb through his now slender and sleek tan-colored tail. Dropping the comb back onto the dresser in the corner, Shippou grabbed his backpack and dashed downstairs.

He slowed to a walk when he saw his mother, knowing that running the house was another of her pet peeves. She handed him his lunch and gave him an insincere hug goodbye, telling him to be careful. In his mind, Shippou scoffed, but left hurriedly.

"What about her?"

"She's ok, I guess…" Shippou said lazily.

"You guess? C'mon, show us a girl you like!" Rin said, ever the outgoing one.

Kohaku grinned shyly beside her, but didn't say anything. Shippou rolled his eyes. The three of them were sitting on their usual table by the fence, shaded by the old oaks that grew there. Rin was stretched out on the bench, her head in Kohaku's lap (primarily the reason for his most prominent blush), and Shippou was sitting on the edge of the tabletop next to Kohaku, dangling his feet between the table top and the bench and gazing down at Rin instead of looking at the cheerleader's practice like he was supposed to be.

"Why? What's wrong with me not liking any of them?" Shippou replied, not caring how stupid the words sounded outside his head.

"Because then you'd be gay." Rin smiled. At Shippou's deadpan expression she quickly amended, "Not that being gay is bad, but if Jakotsu ever got a hold of that news, he'd be after you in a second."

Shippou gave a wry smile. "So we're doing this for my own protection, is that right?"

Kohaku laughed and Rin said, "Yes, that's it exactly. You've caught us in the act." Nudging Kohaku, she added, "Guess we'll just have to cover it all up better next time."

"Next time?" Shippou asked. "Maybe if there is a next time I'll just use my fox magic and escape you loonies."

"Oh there'll be a next time. Rin never gives up, you know that. Find out Shippou's crush or die trying." Kohaku said. Rin slapped him on the only part of him she could really reach, his knee. Kohaku gave her puppy-dog eyes and Rin quickly mumbled a 'sorry'.

The cheerleading practice continued loudly, as did Rin's insistence that he pick at least one girl he thought pretty. This was considered a normal day for Shippou, Rin, and Kohaku. Go to school together, survive the day once more, and watch the world pass them by on a park bench for an hour before each was due home.

Finally looking at his watch, he told them the time. "See you guys tomorrow." Shippou said, giving Rin a hug and waving to Kohaku.

Their goodbyes followed each of them as the trio split ways, and Shippou walked home alone. It seemed like a usual day, but Shippou couldn't help but feel the fear that used to accompany him on his walk home. He knew it was only a matter of time before Kikyo began to drink again, began to beat him again, began to force him to run away to Kagome's every week.

Thinking about it, Shippou thought it was almost funny how he'd never told Kohaku and Rin about Kikyo's abusive tendencies. It wasn't that they hadn't asked how he'd gotten his numerous bruises and cuts. His being a youkai made all of it nonetheless suspicious, and he had a feeling Kohaku really knew what was up. But his friend was timid, and though Kohaku knew he could tell Shippou anything and vice versa, they had not the guts between them to speak the truth.

Rin was technically related to Shippou, being the foster daughter of his father's brother. She had met Kikyo more than Kohaku had, had known the woman as long as she'd known Shippou (which albeit was most of their lives), and knew that there was something altogether not right with her. But she couldn't figure it out. Kohaku hadn't wanted to tell her and Shippou knew it. The fact that he had missed school on Monday and not told them why had only fueled the fire of Rin's curiosity, not something that needed fueling at the moment.

So all that was left for him was to walk home alone, and hope that he didn't meet the fear of his mother somewhere along the way.

Kagome set down her grocery bag and answered the phone tiredly. "Hello?"

"Hey there, Beautiful." Kouga said on the other end. Kagome smiled.

That had been an endearing nickname given to her by both Kouga and Inuyasha in high school, one that had made Kikyo obviously jealous. But Kouga still used the nickname, especially since he'd expressed his equally obvious feelings for her.

"Hey." Kagome said. "What's up?"

"I was wondering if you were doing anything tomorrow night." Kouga replied smoothly. Unlike Inuyasha he had never had any problem asking Kagome out. In fact he'd done it damn near relentlessly.

Kagome continued to put away groceries. "Tomorrow as in Friday? I'm not doing anything."

Kouga's smirk was almost tangible through the phone. "Do you want to see a movie with me?"

"Yeah, sure. What time?" Kagome asked, going through the usual parade of being asked out.

"Around six thirty. I'll pick you up then, that ok?" Kouga asked.

"Yeah, that's great. I'll see you then." Kagome said.

"Bye," Kouga said, his voice still so smooth it ought to have been fined.

Kagome hung up slowly and wondered what Inuyasha was doing at that moment.

"Hey son," Inuyasha called. "How was school?"

"Same old…" Shippou said, taking off his shoes and making to go upstairs.

"Wait a minute," Inuyasha said.

"What?" Shippou asked wearily.

"Just c'mere." Inuyasha said, motioning to him from the kitchen, where he sat at the small oak table with Kikyo, papers crowding the table top.

Shippou sat down curiously, and Inuyasha slid one of the many papers towards him. Shippou read it slowly, at first not really comprehending, but then beginning to smile broadly.

Looking up, he asked, "Is it true?"

Inuyasha nodded, letting a small smile grace his features as well. "Sesshoumaru finally got tired of all those damn people hounding his door to adopt Rin. So he's going to adopt her."

"That's great! Does she know? Can I call her?" Shippou asked.

"Yes, she knows. I believe Sesshoumaru is on the phone with your Aunt Kaede, working out the smaller details." Kikyo said, drinking a cup of coffee in front of her and holding Inuyasha's hand.

Shippou gave the clasped hands a fleeting look, but let the happiness of Rin's adoption overcome him instead. There was no need to be afraid right now, as long as Kikyo kept drinking coffee and Inuyasha kept throwing out her secret stashes of booze.

_To Be Continued…_


	3. Lover's Lane

I reread this chapter and had to rectify a few embarrassing mistakes… . 

**Chapter Three: Lover's Lane**

Kouga was exactly on time when he rang Kagome's doorbell on Friday night. He was immaculately perfect in black jeans and a dark blue shirt, his tail silky to the touch thanks to his grooming skills and his hair let loose out of its usual ponytail. When Kagome opened the door he handed her a bouquet of pink roses.

"Hey you," Kagome said, smiling as he gave her the roses. She turned back and set the roses on the hall table before going to get in the car with Kouga. "What's the movie pick of the night, if I may ask?"

"You may," Kouga said, giving her an appreciative look up and down her body. "But I'm not sure I'll remember. You've distracted me completely."

Kagome knew he was being modest; she wore blue jeans and a black shirt with a light blue jacket. "Try to keep focused."

"Oh, definitely. You've got my full attention."

Kagome grinned weakly, thinking it was going to be a long night.

Kouga had, predictably, taken her to a scary movie. Kagome couldn't help that the scary parts and surprises had placed her dutifully almost in his lap with fear. He'd used the classic yawn effect to put an arm around her shoulder, and at almost the end of the movie, had kissed just on the line of her jaw teasingly.

Kagome knew the ins and outs of dating, and knew almost every trick in the book that guys were likely to pull. But while she'd taken all of this in stride and responded in kind, Kagome couldn't help but keep her mind on anything but Kouga. She remembered dating Inuyasha, hearing his laugh when he knew he was pulling a cliché move, remembered him not being able to wait until the movie was even half-way over to kiss her.

Then remembering his replacing her with Kikyo. Kagome wondered if he did the same things with Kikyo. If he laughed when she pulled pranks on him, or purred when she pet his ears. Kagome hoped he didn't. She wanted those things purely to herself, to her innocent memory. She shivered when this thought occurred. What innocence did she retain after all that had happened in her life? After all that had happened with Inuyasha? Where could she manage to fit in without him by her side, however secretly?

"Are you excited?" Shippou asked, playing aimlessly with a pen on his desk, phone clutched to his ear with his left hand.

"Yeah, I'm excited, but it's not like anything's going to change." Rin said on the other end. Girl had a point.

Shippou made a dismissive noise. "Nothing's going to change? You're going to legally be able to say you're my cousin, something I've worked very hard to assure people otherwise of."

"You know you love me beneath it all." Rin said, carrying on the joke. Shippou felt a small tremor even though she continued to say, "I'm irresistibly lovable, don't deny it."

It made him smile as well, knowing that Rin was smiling too. "Tell that to Kohaku."

"That boy is so adorable I find it offensive."

Shippou felt the expected small surge of jealousy, and mentally quashed the feeling viciously, reminding himself that she was his cousin.

"Shippou," Called Kikyo from downstairs, "Uncle Myoga is here! Time to get off the phone!"

"What's Kikyo yelling about?" Rin asked curiously.

Shippou mentally beat his head against a random hard surface. "Myoga is here…"

"Funny time for a visit." Rin remarked. "I heard a storm was coming our way soon."

"Snow storm or rain storm?"

"Snow,"

"He'll be out of here that much faster then." Shippou said, feeling a little relieved.

Myoga was the one who had become the legal guardian of Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru when their father had died and Inuyasha's mother not long after. Why he was 'uncle' instead of 'grandpa' was anyone's guess. Along with having been Inuyasha and Sesshoumaru's guardian, Myoga had a funny fear of weather, particularly rain and snow.

"I bet he knows about it, too. Could be that he's in for a long visit." Rin said.

"God I hope not…" Shippou mumbled. "I better get go before Mom kills me. I'll call you when Myoga turns tail."

"Ok," Rin said, hanging up.

Later that night, when Myoga had gone home, ever the coward, and Kikyo had gone to bed, Inuyasha picked up the phone. It was late, almost one in the morning. He was sure she'd be up waiting for his call. Shippou was in his room, doing who knows what—

Inuyasha's thought was interrupted when he heard voices speaking quietly on the phone. They were so quiet, in fact, that had he been human he wouldn't have heard them.

"You have to show me sometime." The voice of Rin. She sounded teasing to his ears.

"Why? It's embarrassing." Shippou said. He certainly sounded embarrassed.

"Then give me a name and I swear I'll stop bothering you."

"No you won't. And you'd probably hit the old yearbooks going crazy looking for her, too." Her? Now Inuyasha was really confused.

"So I've know her a while, have I?" Rin sounded demanding, very like the way Sesshoumaru sounded demanding; as if something bad was going to happen if you refused them.

Shippou sighed, sounding frustrated. "It'll never work between me and her because she's close to someone I know. But I just can't help my feelings. Promise to keep something secret for me?"

"Uh-huh. Of course. I've kept all your secrets thus far, haven't I?" Rin said, sounding a little sad. Inuyasha wondered if Shippou had told her about Kikyo's abusive tendencies.

"I'm not very sure, but… I think I love her." Shippou said as quietly as he could, seemingly petrified that anyone could hear him if he spoke any louder.

"Love her?" Rin asked, sounding oddly muffled. Inuyasha cursed the phone for not conveying scent so that he might gouge her mood. "Just who is she, and why is it you think you love her?"

"She is close to people in my family. I just don't see her often enough to be sure if I love her, but she's on my mind all the time…" Shippou certainly sounded like it was at least puppy love. But on the other hand, it sounded to Inuyasha like he loved Kagome. She was close to the family, and he couldn't see her often…

"Well I'm going to go to bed. You still want me to come over tomorrow?" Shippou asked.

"Yeah," Rin sighed.

"Oh don't sound so depressed. Why should you be depressed when you're seeing me?" Rin laughed, but it sounded kinda hollow. "Don't forget that Uncle Sesshoumaru needs to give me a ride back home."

Rin made a noise of agreement before hanging up, and then Shippou hung up. Inuyasha hung up the phone quickly and went up to his bedroom, slipping out of his jeans and his shirt and putting them in the hamper. While brushing his teeth, careful to brush his fangs carefully and thoroughly, he thought about Shippou.

It was certainly plausible if the kit loved Kagome; a teenage boy in high school with a drunk mother and a beautiful woman to flee to? He'd be lucky if Shippou weren't head over heels in love like the stupid wolf was. Worried but wondering, he washed out his mouth and joined Kikyo in bed, in for a sleepless night.

"Hello?"

Kagome wearily checked the time on her alarm clock after picking up the phone. Select few people would ever call this late and usually it was important. Kouga tightened his grip on her momentarily, his tail curling and uncurling around his thighs.

"I can't take it anymore." Ah, Shippou.

"Really? So you're calling me at two fifteen in the morning on a Saturday to tell me… what exactly?" Kagome asked, rubbing at her eyes and trying to clear her brain.

"She's unbelievable, and beautiful, and she's legally my cousin! Does it matter if I'm related only by law, or is it still considered wrong?" Ah, Rin.

"I've never dealt with this kind of love situation." Kagome said, groaning. "Did I tell you that?"

"Yes," Shippou said dismissively. It sounded like he was pacing furiously. "She's… she's everything I want and all that I'm denied."

"Oh you are a little Shakespearian. Woo me with your poems of beautifully unrequited love, my little Shakespeare." Kagome joked wryly, but still touched that Shippou felt this deeply for Rin.

"Don't mock me." Shippou admonished sadly. "It's bad enough that I'm mocked in my dreams when I can manage to sleep."

Instantly Kagome felt apologetic; the kitsune was really torn up about it all. And he wanted so hard to be a good son, especially since the incident not too long ago at her own house. Beside her, Kouga had begun to stir. "Who's calling this late?" He asked sleepily.

Shippou fell absolutely silent on the phone, and she was sure he could hear Kouga with that youkai hearing of his. "Talk to me later, ok? And try to get some sleep."

"Sorry," Shippou said, a little remorsefully. "I didn't think you would have company."

"Shippou?" Kouga asked, more awake. "Is everything alright?"

Kagome nodded a yes to him, Shippou having already hung up. "Nothing's wrong… just a little girl trouble."

Kouga once again wrapped her in his embrace, which was warm as lava. "Let's hope that's all his problems are."

It was the next day that it happened. It was when Sesshoumaru had driven him home. Rin had walked him up to the door, and come just inside so he could give her a book he'd borrowed long ago. Then she'd given him a look. A deep resentment and loss, and she'd just been standing there staring at his lips! Shippou had forgotten that his mother was home. Forgotten that she'd begun acting like the mother he usually knew and hated. But it was only an accident. He'd just lost control.

Rin's lips were petal soft and luscious, the feel of his hands on her hips so good as well as her cold fingers on his face. He'd wanted her. Wanted her for ages and his mother knew it. His mother _knew_ and completely disapproved, telling him it was wrong. Telling him that even though they weren't related by blood, she was still his cousin and it was wrong.

"I think you'd better leave, Rin."

Kikyo's icy voice sent fear racing through his veins, and he didn't dare look at her. Her voice was never different when she was drunk. Rin wouldn't be able to tell that once she was gone Kikyo would fall onto him and beat him senseless. But he didn't look at his mother, didn't have to, and didn't want to know with further proof that she was drunk. Rin's eyes were too beautiful and he might never get to see them again. One of these times Kikyo could kill him. Shippou knew that she didn't mean it. But he had to steal one last kiss from her, his beautiful Rin.

"I'm sorry…" Shippou said quietly, almost choking over his words. He kissed her cheek swiftly and closed the door, waiting for the first blow to hit.

_To Be Continued…_


	4. Stolen Innocence

Author's Note: This chapter is a little on the graphic side. Do not flame me for it (and please don't report me…); this chapter has been rated R for a very good reason. It should be rated higher, but I made it as un-graphic as possible while still making it as best detailed as I could. This is what it came out as, and I'm very happy with it. Lime is the best you'll find in this, though maybe a little more. I'd hardly call this a lemon; even if it was, it's not a good one.

Also, a note to the ones who review this story solely for the purpose of telling me to move my ass on others: It's not funny, it's not cute, and in fact it'll only encourage me to ignore you and the other stories. I will not be pushed in any way, especially in my writing. I'll do what I want, when I want, and if you seriously feel the need to tell me to get a move on, do it politely in a review for that story. I know that it's severely unsatisfying to the readers for a writer to stop before the end of the story, but I'm having a lot of difficulty finding closure for all this. So I'm sorry, I know how it feels, but you'll just have to wait.

**Chapter Four: Stolen Innocence**

She loved his kisses. They were full of passion and love for her. His kisses spoke to her, tried to convey a message from his heart that words couldn't say. It was a message only for her ears, for her heart. It seemed an impossible communication.

"Kagome,"

"_You would never leave me, would you?" _

"_Never… No one can take me from you." _

A neck offered to his hungry, seeking lips, feeling the blood rush faster through her veins.

"_Inuyasha!" _

"_You are mine, do you hear me? No one else can ever have you!" _

"Kagome!"

Slowly, she opened her eyes. At first she was still in the vivid flashback that tormented her every waking and dreaming moment. But it wasn't Inuyasha's clawed hands that held her close. Kouga was tenderly kissing her face and trying to sooth away a pain he didn't understand, let alone see. With a blush Kagome realized that Kouga was still on top of her, their bodies still intimately entwined. The surrounding room did not belong to her, the suffocating sheets not her own. Kagome remembered that they'd gone to Kouga's apartment this time.

"It's not real, whatever you saw. You're safe with me." Kouga said quietly.

Kagome wanted to cry. She wasn't safe with Kouga, and she never would be. He didn't know this secret, and she never wanted to tell him. There was only one person she needed to see, and if the pulsing on her neck was any indication, he'd be waiting for her to call.

EmFallen

The whole house was stuffy. Much too hot to sleep in. Outside the porch was cool and calming, the winter air feeling good against his overheated body. Of course, it wasn't _him_ that felt that way, he knew. Kagome, wherever she was, needed him.

"Inuyasha?"

Kikyo's voice floated down the stairs to reach his hanyou ears. She'd be worried if he stayed out here much longer. He'd have to make up some sort of lie so he could see Kagome. He could never forget that Kagome was his first priority, always. It was, after all, his fault. He hoped Kagome would call him to let him know where she was.

Inuyasha went back inside, closing the glass door as well as the screen door so that the house wouldn't get cold. Like an answer to his wishes, the phone rang. Briefly he told Kikyo he'd be right up.

Once he was sure she'd gone back to bed, he picked up the phone. "Where are you?"

"Leaving a friend's. Is it ok for me to come by?"

"No," Inuyasha said, feeling relief that he could hear her calm voice at the very least. "I'll meet you at the usual place, ok?"

"Ok," Kagome agreed, not able to keep the slight waver out of her words.

EmFallen

Shippou gingerly avoided laying flat or on his side. Pillows were strewn around his body to keep him at a tilted angle. He could see out of his window from where he was situated. Every time the kitsune heard Kikyo so much as roll over, he'd held his breath. She'd come out once, calling softly for Inuyasha, and Shippou's whole body had frozen.

Kikyo hadn't beaten him that long ago. For once she'd maintained the effort of restraint and merely slapped him around and shouted. The next morning she didn't apologize. Shippou hadn't expected her to. Instead, she banned him from calling Rin and hoped that was all it took. Neither had told Inuyasha, and no new booze stashed had been found.

Downstairs, Shippou could hear Inuyasha hang up the phone. Then came the jangling of keys and he came up the stairs. No doubt Shippou could hear the hanyou's every move. Kikyo woke to ask where he was going. For a minute, Inuyasha didn't respond.

When the kitsune could hear Inuyasha's footsteps halfway out of the bedroom door, Inuyasha stopped and told Kikyo, "Ginta and Hakkaku can't find Kouga, they're worried. The idiot is probably piss drunk and passed out, but they said they'd feel more comfortable if I tried my luck finding the bastard. I won't be gone long."

Kikyo muffled a goodbye and told him to be careful before Shippou heard his father traipsing downstairs. Should he have told his father that Kouga was most likely at Kagome's? The kit didn't enjoy the prospect of Inuyasha finding out, but it'd be better than his own son telling him. Wearily, Shippou closed his eyes and attempted sleep once more.

EmFallen

Kagome waited anxiously for Inuyasha to arrive, continuously covering the pulsing invisible scar on her neck. All around her the world was slow and dark, cloaked in silence that was deafening. When she got back from Kouga's, she hadn't turned any lights on. Kouga hadn't been happy that she'd left with no excuse, or that they hadn't finished their sinful romp in his bed.

Her thoughts were cut off when headlights brightened the living room briefly. Kagome could barely contain her growing excitement and anticipation. The scar on her neck felt as though someone were pinching it. Before Inuyasha could announce his presence with the doorbell, Kagome let him in. The guilty look on his face tore at her heart, as well as the responsibility she knew he felt for her.

"We can't keep things the way they are…" Kagome blurted in place of greeting.

"What do you propose we do then? We sure as hell can't tell anyone!" Inuyasha snapped. Kagome flinched, and he instantly regretted the attitude lacing his words. "I'm sorry."

"I know," Kagome wondered if he was apologizing for the outburst or something else.

"I can't leave her." He looked apologetically at her, almost asking forgiveness.

She shook her head. Maybe he had been apologizing for both. "I don't want to talk about it. I didn't even want to bring it up."

Inuyasha closed the door behind him and pulled her close. He immediately sense the change in her scent, imitating the mood Kagome felt. The hanyou felt the tears falling on his hand, but he didn't panic like he used to so long ago. Kagome always cried when he held her this way, when she was reminded so harshly of their past.

EmFallen

Shippou felt the strong urge to continue trying to sleep, but his bruises prevented any comfort he might have found in his warm bed. So, wincing at any fast movement, Shippou was sitting at his computer. He unplugged the speakers so he wouldn't wake his mother, and then turned it on. Upon checking his email, he found a heartfelt letter from Rin.

'_You aren't telling me a lot of things, Shippou, and I'm not ok with that. I've been around you long enough to know when something's bothering you, and normally that something is seriously wrong. I may not be your best friend, I may be just a cousin to you, and you might not even want to talk to me after… well, _that_, but please. From me to you, tell me how to help you. Tell me what to do to make whatever's wrong right, and I will. I'll do whatever I can to make it right.'_

He felt so compelled to call her. He needed to tell her it wasn't her fault that she couldn't fix it but he was extremely touched… but he couldn't. If Kikyo found out, she would not go easy on him this time.

EmFallen

Inuyasha kissed her salty tears away; soothing her the way Kouga had miserably failed at. Kagome stopped crying eventually, though it still hurt his heart to smell the lingering scent of her tears. He knew she wouldn't speak again for a while, but he was ok with that. He didn't need her to say anything at all.

"_You guys are the perfect couple!" _

Kagome shuddered from the voice of memory, as well as from Inuyasha's wet, open-mouthed kisses down her neck. They _had_ been the perfect couple; no one ever saw them seriously fight, and for all intensive purposes, they looked so obviously in love. Inuyasha's kisses passed the invisible mark and she longed for him to sink his fangs in once more. But he passed the mark up in favor of her collar bone. He used his claws to pop the buttons off her shirt, exposing her chest and sending the little circles of plastic flying across the carpet.

_The blush across Kagome's face was burning her cheeks. The hanyou had a predatory smirk on his face that was hiding a genuine smile and a hot blush not unlike her own. His fingers were soft and gentle on her skin, his lips feeling hot where they came in contact with flesh._

Inuyasha pulled her up to meet his face halfway, giving her a passionate kiss. He didn't want to ruin her skirt like he had with her shirt, so he left that barrier there for the time being. He trailed the claws of his right hand up her left leg, using his left arm to hold her close to his chest while half sprawling her on his lap. They still hadn't turned on any lights and he didn't expect to even want to; the living room was softly illuminated in an orange glow from the streetlights that made her eyes sparkle with the damp aftermath of the tears.

When he came to her panties, he felt the familiar longing for her, to feel her. But he forced himself to remember that she shouldn't be his to feel or to want. It was wrong for him to do this, it was unfaithful. If only he knew how alike a situation he had to his son.

_It felt unbelievable right. They were both so inexperienced, but together it was an opportunity to learn. Kagome was writhing at his touch, something alien to her virgin flesh. Her scandalous school skirt was almost no obstacle at all, so he left it alone. Kagome pry wouldn't feel very comfortable removing cloths at all, despite his having seen various parts of her body before. With the tips of his claws he moved her panties to the side, Kagome clutching his shirt tightly in one fist._

Her moans of pleasure were nothing new to him, yet still enjoyable. Inuyasha tried hard to keep his claws from being painful to her, which was hard because it used a lot of his concentration. The hanyou thought it was strange that Kagome was so immediately responsive so early in the game.

He cut her pleasure short and put his fingers up to his nose. There was a scent of someone he recognized… With a possessive growl, he pinned her with his body to the plush white carpet, his shirt brushing her bare chest and making her arch her back.

"Kagome," he said to catch her attention. She looked up slowly though thick black eyelashes. "You know that you are mine." It wasn't a question, though she nodded anyway. He felt the jealousy surge strongly through his veins. "Then why do I smell wolf on you?"

Kagome knew there was no getting out of it. She couldn't help but feel the growing pinprick of fear, though she tried hard to force it away. There was no excuse for Kouga's scent being where it was other than the truth she'd failed to tell him. She knew he could literally smell her fear.

"_You belong to me and no one else! Do you understand me?" _

_Kagome whimpered in fear. Inuyasha's eyes were changing from their familiar golden to a predatory red. As part of an ancient line of mikos and priests, Kagome could see the loss of control, the surrender to the enraged demon coursing anew through his blood. His claws grew longer and sharper, digging into her sides where he held her. His fangs became sharper and just long enough to graze his bottom lip. Kagome wanted to get away. She wanted to scream and cry, but all she could do was stare in shock. _

"_Inuyasha…" she whispered. "Not now, please, don't do this." _

"Not now, please, later." Kagome mumbled. She had the grace to look ashamed of herself.

Inuyasha tightened his grip on her and shook her hard, eliciting a whimper. "No, now! Why is Kouga's scent on you?!"

He knew by more than just her scent that he was scaring her. But he couldn't understand why she would look for comfort in Kouga when all she had to do was call him. Didn't she understand? She was his responsibility, and no one else's! There would be no man on earth that could ever be with her the way he could. Kagome was his, and she had the mark to prove it.

"Kagome, I'm asking you! Why—,"

"Then don't ask me!" Kagome cried.

Inuyasha froze, though he couldn't understand why. Kagome buried her face in his shirt, knowing that no matter how much he hated her he would never be able to turn her away. The hanyou caught the scent of tears once again, but made no attempt to stop her crying.

"I couldn't stay alone, Inuyasha! I couldn't keep knowing that you went home to Kikyo, to a son, to a family, and I have only an empty house!"

Inuyasha's ears flattened close to his silver hair both in shame and at the sharp loudness of her voice. "What else could we do?" he whispered. "What else was there as an option? All you have to do if you want to be with someone is to call—,"

Kagome cut him off. "I don't want to have to call you to let you know I need you! I don't want just this, just what you're comfortable with. I need someone, Inuyasha. You could have left her! You could be my family because you know it's what I deserve."

"You don't deserve it if it's not her fault, too!" Inuyasha snapped, suddenly as angry as she must have felt she was. After all, was it not Kikyo who drew him away from Kagome, who said she needed him more than life itself?

Kagome slapped him. "Then you should have controlled yourself when it mattered most!"

Inuyasha flinched as her words hit their target, and it was Kagome's turn to regret her words. But she couldn't find regret for them. It hurt her heart as much as it hurt his to say what she had, but it was the truth. She'd felt it all these long years of hiding it all, and even had it been Kikyo's fault for the person missing in her life, she couldn't justify it like he could.

"_Stop it! Stop, please!" But saying 'stop' just wasn't working. Nothing was. _

_When Inuyasha broke through the only slightly yielding virgin barrier, Kagome wanted to scream bloody murder. But the hanyou had covered her mouth and effectively muffled any scream or cry for help. His actions to her body became no less painful. It didn't even lessen to a tolerable level of pain. Each new thrust of his hips to meet hers sent a spasm of pinching pain through to her abdomen. _

"_I forgive you, Inuyasha. I offered you my body and you took it. I forgive you." Kagome said, her constricting throat made it hard to speak, but she had to make sure he knew he was forgiven. "I forgive you!" _

_His ears flattened to his head like they usually did when he'd been caught doing something bad. When it seemed as if there was no end of his demon nature, Kagome felt him turn back to his familiar hanyou self. She couldn't see him because she kept her eyes closed tight, but his claws shortened and he seemed to freeze for a minute before resuming his pace. His hand came off her mouth, but Kagome made no sound to announced her continuous pain or to call for help. She knew he was fighting himself to regain control. _

_They seemed at the end of things as Inuyasha began to speed up. Kagome was still feeling the pain, but she'd become dull to it. Inuyasha was clearly still fighting off his demon nature. Then he did something unexpected. _

_Brushing away her soft raven hair, he exposed her neck. Kagome had kept her eyes closed, but curiosity forced them open in time to see Inuyasha lick the side of her neck tentatively. He was completely himself, but Kagome knew this was an instinctive gesture. She hoped he wouldn't cave into it. _

_But all her hopes were dashed when the demon once again rose to take control. Inuyasha made not even the slightest fight against his instinct as he bit into her neck. Kagome gasped from the pain, but was silenced gently when he put his palm to her mouth. She tasted blood; he'd cut himself. At that thought she was almost revolted. Yet still she lapped at the blood, completing the bond._

"What about you?" Inuyasha said, no accusation in his voice. "You accepted the blood. Why didn't you stop me or try to escape?"

Kagome shook her head. "I was tired of fighting you. I was tired of that pain."

"Where was that legendary miko power when you needed it most?" Inuyasha chided wearily. His voice was still soft.

"You're one to talk. Where was your human side when you needed it most? That everlasting control you like to brag about so much? Does Kikyo know--," At the mention of his wife, Inuyasha growled and his eyes flashed red, forcing Kagome to fall silent or risk letting his demon side take over.

EmFallen

Shippou paced between his bed and the door. He couldn't sleep, and he wanted so badly to call Rin, to tell her what her letter had meant to him. It was close to being four in the morning, but he was sure she'd hear her cell phone. No way would he try calling her house phone when Sesshoumaru had the attributes of a demon. His uncle could be scarier than his mother in a way. Finally, Shippou devised a plan; he would go over to Kagome's in the morning so that she could help him find the words to tell Rin what exactly had been going on. Finding comfort in his new resolve, he dropped down on his bed (immediately wincing with his carelessness), and fell asleep, exhausted.

EmFallen

_To Be Continued…_


	5. Flowers for Rin

AN: I know that this is shorter than usual, but I'm trying to study for the exit exam… x.x I'll try to get the next chapter up soon. You guys rock as reviewers!

**Chapter Five: Flowers for Rin**

Inuyasha blearily opened his eyes, letting a contented sigh out. Kagome was still sleeping, her breathing deep and even on his face. Sunlight flooded the bedroom and illuminated everything brightly. He pulled Kagome's body close, kissing her forehead. It wasn't time to leave just yet, but it would be all too soon.

The hanyou got out of bed and pulled his boxers and jeans on, deciding to make a little breakfast for Kagome. Last night hadn't been their best night, considering that they argued over something every night they were together. There wasn't any avoiding it, either. Everything was much easier to let out in a fight, because later one could say sorry and everything would be suddenly all right again.

EF

"Hello?"

"I don't have much time to talk, so hopefully we can make this a fast conversation."

"Right," Rin said, recognizing Shippou's voice. "So you got my email?"

"Yes," Shippou paused for a minute, unsure of how to continue. The porch was very bright, and if Kikyo saw him on the phone it was all over. "I want to tell you what's up, really I do, but I can't."

Rin sounded disappointed when she spoke. "Why not?"

"It involves people I'd rather not name." He had to choose his words carefully, lest he give anything away that Rin shouldn't know.

"I hate this helpless feeling…"

"I know, and I do, too. But if you can ever help me, you'll be the first to hear about it." Shippou said.

"Promise?"

He promised. It was clear that they weren't going to talk about the kiss, but Shippou couldn't if they had tried talking about it. "I have to go, I'll talk to you later."

"Ok," Rin sighed, "Bye…"

The kitsune got off the phone just in time as Kikyo opened the screen door, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Who was that?" She asked, her voice light.

Shippou's mind raced for a lie. "Uh… just trying to find dad…"

Kikyo seemed to accept this and nodded. When she was back inside, Shippou shakily set the phone down, strange colorless imprints of his fingers fading where he'd clutched the phone so hard his knuckles turned white. At least he'd gotten to hear her voice today…

EF

"Morning," Inuyasha said, his voice oozing fake cheer.

Kagome saw through it in an instant, but decided against a remark. "This is nice…"

"I just figured you'd be hungry."

Kagome wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her cheek against his bare back and watched what she could see of him cooking. "My hero," She joked.

The hanyou's patience, which would have been tested at that remark, was saved by the ringing phone. Kagome stepped away from Inuyasha, who continued cooking French toast. A minute later she handed him the phone. He blinked stupidly at it.

"Feed your son a lie." Kagome said, clearly annoyed.

He took the phone from her. "Hey, Shippou."

"Where are you?" Shippou asked.

"Stop mothering. Kagome asked me to help her with something. I'll be home in a little while." Inuyasha said. Then he quickly added, "Don't tell your mother. You know how she is about Kagome."

"Yeah…" the kit said, sounding sad. "I know how she is about Kagome."

Inuyasha said goodbye and finished cooking breakfast. Kagome set the table, still looking irritated. He decided not to say anything unless she brought it up first, and served himself and her. He almost regretted deciding so when she speared her French toast with a vindictive fork. But as usual, Kagome brought up the 'elephant in the room'.

"When are you leaving?"

"When do you want me to leave?" He asked carefully.

"Don't make me answer that."

"Are you going to bring this out now?" He sighed.

"When else do we have time to talk about it?"

"I told you, just call,"

Once again, she cut him off. "And I told you, that's not good enough."

Inuyasha had had enough verbal sparring. He ignored her last statement and finished eating. After putting the dishes in the sink, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders, squeezing reassuringly. Kagome melted at the touch. He didn't want to leave just yet, but he knew Kikyo would become suspicious if he didn't get home soon.

"I'll think about a way to make this better." Inuyasha said.

"There's only one way and you know it." Kagome replied dully. Clearly she was tired of fighting, too.

He kissed her neck, barely touching her. Faintly, he heard her whimper. "I can't remark you or Kouga will know what's up." He lied. Kouga would catch his scent all over Kagome anyway, but he didn't think she knew that. He'd just have to think of a good cover and reason.

"Are you leaving now?" Kagome asked, though she knew the answer already.

"Yes. I'll cal you later, I promise."

Kagome stood up so fast the chair she'd been sitting in was knocked over. She turned and threw her arms around him. Inuyasha kissed her, running his fingers none-too-gently through her hair, savoring the moment. It would be a long time before they got anther night alone together. Inuyasha left ten minutes later without another word.

EF

"I thought we could talk longer this way…" Shippou said shyly, holding the daisies for Rin.

Rin took them, her smile bright as usual. "Thanks."

"I'm not expected home for a while, so we can talk as long as you want. But don't ask about the stuff I wouldn't tell you, because I still won't."

Rin agreed and stepped back so Shippou could come in. They made themselves comfortable in her room, though Shippou sat far from her on the window seat, holding his coke and staring at the clouds forlornly. Rin sat on her bed, leaning against the wall, waiting for him to speak. When it was clear he wouldn't, she began.

"Were you really sorry about it?"

He locked eyes guiltily with her, shaking his head. The kitsune seemed like even though he offered to talk, he didn't really want to. "Let's play a game of truth…" He suggested. "You go first."

"Ok," Rin said, tapping one finger against her lush lips. "What happened after I left?"

Shippou shook his head again. "I can't tell you that, or I'd have to kill you." It seemed like he was trying to make this fun for her benefit, but she would have none of it.

"How much does this have to do with what you won't tell me?" Rin asked.

Shippou looked thoughtfully out the window, sipping his coke before answering. "It has everything to do with it."

_Bingo._ "Who knows what I don't?"

Shippou gave a wry smile. "I know what you'd do with those names. Nothing doin'."

"Work with me here, Shippou. Tell me something" Rin begged, sitting forward.

"Ok, I'll give you one name: _Kouga_."

"Kouga? That guy Kagome's dating?" Shippou nodded. "Isn't he also that police officer?"

"Yes… he used to go to high school with my parents and Kagome." Shippou grinned. "He didn't like Sesshoumaru very much though. From what I hear from dad, Sesshoumaru scared the crap out of poor Kouga."

Rin mirrored his smile, but she wouldn't be deterred from her plan. "So… would you do it again?"

He sighed. "Would you kill me if I said I didn't know?"

Her smile quickly became a small frown. "Why wouldn't you know?"

"Don't get me wrong, Rin. I care about you a lot. It's just… there are so many things that say that me kissing you is… I dunno… _wrong_."

"Is that why you won't tell me what's going on? Because you think it's wrong?" The pieces were all there, but Rin couldn't make them fit. Whatever was going on with Shippou had to do with his attraction to Rin. His kissing her, to be specific. But had it started with that? Rin asked him.

"No, it started a long time before that." Shippou said wearily. Whatever it was, Rin thought, was sure tiring his soul out.

"Just how long has this been going on?"

Shippou drank the last of his soda before he answered. "Strange, isn't it?"

"What is?"

"That people are so addicted to drinking soda. It's kinda like that…" Shippou seemed to shrink into himself. "This has been going on since I first knew you. It pry would've begun sooner, but mom was ok with Kagome back then, even though she really wasn't."

"What does Kagome have to do with it?" Rin asked. She knew all about Kikyo's infamous dislike of Kagome, but obviously Kikyo had a major part in whatever was bothering Shippou and that had to do with Shippou's attraction to her.

"I got Kagome into it. I wish I sort of hadn't, but then dad wouldn't know." He looked as though caught in the confines of his mind and trying to figure something out for himself.

"Why wouldn't Uncle Inu know?" Rin asked eagerly. This puzzle was just not coming together in her mind, and she was greedily taking any information she could get.

He looked up. "Sorry, shouldn't have said that." Then he looked at the clock on her side table. "I better get going if I'm going to make it home on time."

"Just bear with me for one more minute and then you're off the hook until next time." Rin said.

"Next time?" he raised an eyebrow and got up, leaning against the wall. "Ok, you have your minute. But I'm counting seconds."

She laughed feebly at the joke. "Would you do it again… if I asked?"

Every muscle in his body seemed to tense and he looked towards the door, as though expecting the government to come bursting through to demand he be put to death. But Rin couldn't deny that she liked that kiss. Of course, she had for all intensive purposes started it. Time ticked slowly by, the seconds dwindling to minutes.

Finally, he answered her. "Yes." She couldn't see his eyes, which were hidden behind his bright hair. "I would, for you."

EF

After Shippou left, Rin lay looking at the daisies on her nightstand. They dropped a little over the sides of the small vase she put them in. They looked like the ones in her Aunt Kaede's garden. She and Shippou used to visit there all the time when they were little. It suddenly dawned on her that they hardly ever did anymore. They hardly did anything together anymore except at school. Rin resolved to go visit Kaede when this thing with Shippou was better.

When would it be better though? Why was it happening? Who was doing it? Most important of all, just what was going on? It had something to do with Shippou liking her. Something to do with Kikyo, too…

EF

_To Be Continued_


	6. The Road to Hell

Author's Note: I'm really sorry about the lack of updates for such a long period of time. I've been under a lot of stress from my family, and I've been helping a friend with some personal issues, and of course, school work. I'm currently working on the next chapter, because I'm home sick, so hopefully I'll be able to post it today or maybe by the end of the weekend. Once again, I'm very sorry.

**Chapter Six: The Road to Hell**

As school let out, Rin couldn't help the sinking feeling of disappointment that covered her like a blanket. The class was slow and tired as they gathered their backpacks to leave, except for Shippou, who was out of that classroom as though the hounds of Hell were on his tail. She sighed as she waited for Kohaku to catch up, wishing she knew what the kitsune's problem was. He'd barely spent five minutes in her presence since he had come over to talk. He'd seemed ok then.

"You look like you lost your best friend." Kohaku remarked as he stopped next to her. She was still staring wistfully at the path Shippou had all but run.

"Sue seems that way, doesn't it?" Rin said wearily.

"Shippou still avoiding you then?" Kohaku hedged.

"You mean he's not avoiding you?" She tried not to let her bitterness seep into her voice.

Kohaku shrugged. "He's a bit distant, but I wouldn't say he's avoiding me."

"Distant," Rin said, "is an understatement."

They continued the conversation as they walked home, starting the way Shippou had gone as was their habit since before they could remember. The day was deceitfully bright for winter, though the steely gray clouds threatened rain during the night.

"So," Kohaku began slowly, "what's been going on between you two?"

"I wish I knew." Rin said, shrugging. The effect was lost beneath the weight of her backpack.

Kohaku raised his eyebrows, pinning her with a look. "You don't know?"

"Well he has been avoiding me, you see…" Rin said sarcastically.

"And nothing happened between you two before then?" Kohaku pushed, his tone implying that he was talking to someone mentally retarded. Rin gave him a half-hearted slap on his shoulder.

She was silent for a while, looking down at the sidewalk as they went home. It made sense that he would have avoided her about the kiss, but then why would he talk to her, tell her he'd do it again if she asked? Was that why he was avoiding her? What if it had nothing to do with her?

"_Would you kill me if I said I didn't know?"_

"_Why wouldn't you know?"_

"_Don't get me wrong, Rin. I care about you a lot. There are just so many things that say me kissing you is… I dunno… _wrong._"_

Rin grimaced, pulled out of her reverie by Kohaku's voice.

"He may be youkai, but in his feelings he's just as human as we are." Kohaku said sagely. "Humans make mistakes, as do youkai, but a human tends to make more mistakes in their feelings because we think we know what's best."

"But we don't…" Rin interjected, stopping on the corner of her street, where she usually parted with Kohaku and Shippou.

"Youkai don't make that many mistakes because they use their instincts. That's how they solve problems. We know this because a lot of our friends are youkai. But Shippou's friends are humans, despite the fact that Inuyasha is a hanyou. I wouldn't put it past him for him to think that he knew what was best instead of relying on his instincts to solve a problem."

She sighed. He had a point, but still… "Kohaku, say you had a friend with a problem they wouldn't tell you."

"Ok…" Kohaku said, a telltale curve to his lips that meant he was trying not to smile.

"Then say they gave you the name of one person in the problem who was only slightly involved. Would you talk to that person?"

Kohaku looked thoughtful for a minute. "Which person? The one with the problem or the one who is slightly involved?"

Rin's sudden frustration was a tangible thing. "The person who's slightly involved."

"Sounds under-handed, to be honest," Kohaku answered, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"But what if he refuses to tell you the problem even though you can see it's hurting him? That's not under-handed, is it? All that is is good intentions." Rin persuaded him.

Kohaku froend. "The road to hell is paved with good intentions, you know. And there are people who don't want to be helped."

"Everyone wants to be helped." Rin retorted. "Some of them just don't know it yet."

"I'm not the one you should be telling that to." Kohaku pointed out.

Rin nodded, her indignation vanishing as quickly as it had accumulated. "I'll see you later, Kohaku." She said quietly, quickly walking towards her house.

"Bye, Rin." Kohaku said belatedly, knowing she couldn't hear him now.

EF

"Hello?"

"Why haven't you been answering the damn phone?"

Kagome sighed, wishing that the angry hanyou on the other end of the phone line would go away for a little longer. "I've been busy, that's all."

"The fuck you have," Inuyasha growled. "You're avoiding me. Avoiding your _mate._"

"I can do what I want, Inuyasha. I'm a big girl."

"No, you fucking can't." He retaliated.

"Why not? Because I'm your mate?" Kagome supplied, knowing the argument by haeard. She'd heard it so many times before.

"That's exactly why you can't." Inuyasha ground out, obviously in danger of losing his phenomenal temper.

"We aren't married, we don't have any children binding us, and we don't live together. I'm not your mate, I'm your long-term affair." Kagome said in a tired voice.

She heard him whimper like a dog in pain, but she didn't wait for the rest of his argument as she hung up the phone.

EF

Inuyasha whimpered again as the line went dead. Kagome had hung up on him? His whimper turned into a growl. His mate had hung up on him and rejected him! As quickly as the growl started, it stopped. His heart hurt. His mate had rejected him. The hanyou quickly redialed her number, pressing the phone to his cheek tightly while his ears twitched atop his head to catch even the tiniest sound. He felt like a crazed man.

A minute later the busy signal dashed his hopes that she might listen to him. Angriliy, he threw the phone across the kitchen, hearing it slam into the opposite wall and break into shattered plastic pieces. No satisfaction came from the act. The hanyou leaned against the counter by the sink, feeling his heart beat wildly against his chest, aching almost too painfully to bear. His youkai's voice inside his soul began to get louder, and he feared it.

Kagome feared it, and he wanted to growl at the thought of her fearing any part of him. But it'd been unspoken, it hadn't been talked about. It was his mistake, his shame that he could lose control like that. Long ago he'd learned how to block out his youkai, the screaming demon torrent inside him that had woken up furious. The baser instincts of mating had woken up with it.

Inuyasha brought his hands up to his face as a new awareness gripped him and threatened to let go at the same time. Emotions he knew were not his own had become a clear calling to him, even as the strength of that calling grew weaker with every beat of his heart. His mate was angry at him, and pining away from him, and…

…_and she'd been with another._

Unbelievably he felt his heartbeat increase. Blood rushed so fast and hard he felt dizzy. Slowly he sank down to the cold linoleum, his hands in front of him to steady himself. A pounding necessity was hounding him, giving his youkai strength to scream louder at him.

"Mate…" He wasn't aware of speaking, but the gruff voice was undeniably his.

The beat of his heart was deafening, the cacophony of sound threatening to kill him with its intensity. The kitchen around him blurred as his instincts took control. Kagome's emotions tore at his soul as well as the memory of their first time together so long ago, the knowledge that she'd let someone who wasn't him touch her.

A person came into the kitchen, a woman, a familiar woman. His youkai took control as hanyou Inuyasha felt his thoughts shut down and fade away. He'd ignored his demon blood for far too long.

EF

Shippou sighed heavily as he sat down in Kagome's living room. She was answering a phone call in the kitchen. The kitsune stayed quiet, lost in his own thoughts. Rin had seemed so sad the last few days, her scent weighed down with a heaviness when usually she could touch the clouds she was so happy. Ever since they had talked, ever since he decided to keep his distance, she'd been this way. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't be near her. Not after that explosive question.

"_Would you do it again… if I asked?" _

He looked up as Kagome entered the room, once again catching the elusive addition to her scent. He couldn't figure it out. Now her scent was sad, like Rin's was sad, like his father's had been sad. Why was everyone so upset? There seemed an unusual tension in her, tinged with the familiar remorse. Vaguely Shippou wondered if her feelings had changed with the phone call, or if she'd been this way all day.

"Hey, sorry about that." Kagome said, sounding falsely bright. Shippou inwardly winced but let it pass; she'd tell him if she wanted to talk. "So what did you want to talk about?"

"I think I hurt Rin's feelings…" The kitsune said quietly, looking down at his hands instead of the human across from him. For some reason unidentifiable to him, he felt deeply ashamed by his avoidance.

"And why do you think that?" Kagome asked.

"I figured I'd keep my distance, you know? I couldn't stand being around her before and then she had to go and ask if I'd kiss her again…" Shippou explained, exasperated and distressed and feeling a deep blush staining his cheeks. He heard Kagome trying to stop a laugh and grumbled, "It's not funny." He was glad that her laugh sounded real, at least.

"Sorry, Shippou. I didn't mean to laugh at your problem. But would kissing Rin again really be that bad?"

"No," Shippou admitted, "it wouldn't. Mom finding out, however, would be."

Kagome frowned at the mention of Kikyo. "Does Rin know about your home issues yet?"

"What do you mean, 'yet'?"

"Rin's a smart girl. She's bound to figure it out sometime." Kagome noticed Shippou's sudden distinct discomfort. "So does she already know?"

"I… uhh… gave her a clue or two…. Would it be bad for her to know?" Shippou asked with the air of one about to be arrested for an obvious crime. Kagome's frown deepened.

"That depends… What do you think she'd do about it?"

"About it? She said she wanted to help me. Is that… um… could that be bad?"

She sighed. "I don't know. I'd have to know how Rin wants to help you."

"She… doesn't want to see me in pain, that's all." The kitsune said quietly, his eyes unfocused. As if disconnected from reality, Shippou felt the world spin slowly beneath him. He realized that he hadn't quite meant to say that at all. Rin really didn't want to see him in pain, did she? But that was a stupid question. He willingness and determinedness to help solve the problem proved as much.

Kagome felt the undercurrent of change in the kit. "Shippou?"

He felt his mind slam down to earth again. "What?"

Kagome's frown had disappeared before, but was back with a vengeance at his almost breathless voice. Shippou caught the beginnings of fear in her scent and sat back on instinct, edging away from her slowly in hopes of making the fear go away.

Kagome shook her head. "It's nothing." Her tone didn't manage to convince the kit sitting next to her, and neither did her scent, which still held the elusive new scent. "So you think you hurt Rin's feelings?"

Shippou once again looked down at his hands, which still rested on his knees, blushing scarlet. "Well… I told her that… um, that I'd kiss her again, if she asked me to."

"Only if she asked?" Kagome asked, the humor in her voice almost real.

He nodded. "She thought I regretted kissing her… It's just a bad memory to me now."

"Why would it be bad at all?" She was almost afraid to know his answer.

"Mom caught me kissing her."

Kagome didn't say anything. If he hadn't come to her house because of it, the beating must not have been too bad, maybe just a couple of bruises. They might even have healed by now. She wasn't sure. Something inside her wished he'd stop calling Kikyo his mother, though her conscious nagged her for the thought. Of course he'd call her his mother; Kikyo did raise him most the time.

"How bad was it?" She didn't have to elaborate; he'd know what she was talking about.

Shippou shook his head. "Some bruises, made me a little sore for the night. They're almost gone now."

Kagome reached over and tugged up his shirt, trying not to look at the almost-healed scratches that had once been gouges. They would scar, she knew it. The kit would be stuck with reminders for the rest of his life of how he had an abusive drunk for a mother. The thought made her vindictive. The bruises he'd told her of were small and not very discolored compared to Kikyo's past work. They just looked a little deeper in color compared to the rest of his skin.

She sighed, so tired of this. Shippou was practically her son, for the good mothering Kikyo had done. Kikyo had driven the kit to her time and again, forcing him to learn lessons he should never have had to learn. It drove her crazy to think that Shippou thought of Kikyo as his mother when Kagome had been the one to clean him up after a beating, to hold him when he cried, to make it all better.

_To Be Continued…_


End file.
